Beginning Saturday, Sept. 15, recreational boaters can lock past U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dams on the lower Snake and Columbia rivers almost any time during daylight hours, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers navigation planners.
Commercial vessels will have precedence, and recreational vessels may be allowed to lock through with commercial craft at the discretion of the lockmaster.
Corps dams with locks along the lower Columbia River include John Day Dam, near Rufus; The Dalles Dam, near The Dalles; Bonneville Dam, near Cascade Locks; and McNary Dam, near Umatilla.
Dams with locks along the lower Snake River include Ice Harbor Dam, near Burbank, Wash.; Lower Monumental Dam, near Kahlotus, Wash.; Little Goose Dam, near Starbuck, Wash.; and Lower Granite Dam, near Pomeroy, Wash.
The winter lockage schedule applies to all eight Corps dams along the Columbia-Snake river navigation system.
The winter lockage schedule will remain in effect until May 15, 2019. Lockages will be considered for flotillas or other organized events sponsored by yacht clubs, marinas and other groups, provided 24-hour advance arrangements are made with the appropriate location.
